Mavis

Meet Mavis. The gentle tilt of her head, the folds of her clothing; every detail suggests familiarity and care. The artist, Annaratnam Gunaratnam, knew her subject well. She taught alongside Mavis at Raffles Girls’ School. She was drawn to Mavis’s Eurasian features and her gentle personality, both of which shine through in the sculpture.

Made in the 1950s, Mavis reflects a different kind of portraiture, more personal, more grounded. It stands apart from works of earlier artists like Dora Gordine. Gunaratnam was one of Singapore’s few female sculptors at the time. She taught full-time yet remained active in Singapore’s postwar art scene. She regularly exhibited with the Singapore Art Society, together with artists like Georgette Chen.

This was a pivotal moment in Singapore’s story. It was beginning to imagine itself as a nation. Identity was no longer just defined from the outside but increasingly by those who called this place home. Gunaratnam’s work is part of that shift. And perhaps that’s what Mavis asks us to consider: how do we remember the people who shaped a nation; not just the famous names in history books, but those whose impact was felt through everyday connections?